Remember to lightly stretch after exercising.

Add pizzazz to your routine walks and notice a difference--physically and mentally. No doubt, walking provides an easy and inexpensive way to get fit. Yet it can get boring if you do the same thing over and over. Challenge yourself with these tips, and it will benefit your body and mind.

Endurance Boost
Strengthen your stamina on--and off--the sidewalk by adding interval training to your routine. No gym is required for this exercise technique. When walking, all you have to do is vary your speed and intensity.

Connie Tyne, executive director of Cooper Wellness Program in Dallas, suggests warming up gradually and then doing a few minutes of fitness walking (medium strides with arms moving at a 90-degree angle) followed by power walking (smaller, quicker steps, as if you're in a big hurry). You can also jog for a short distance or until you feel tired and then return to fitness walking.

"Repeat the pattern, and make it fun," Connie says. "Keep your intensity at a level that will be challenging but not exhausting. If you're listening to music, power walk during the chorus of each song."